Have anti depressant drugs helped you? Tell me your story...I need to hear something good.?

Question

I have been dealing with some pretty intense depression now for a while ever since a unwanted divorce. I pretty sure I had many of the symptoms before the divorce as well just not as intense. Thoughts of suicide, uninterested in EVERYTHING, lack of concentration, social isolation...etc. I have been going counceling for about 9 months and things don't seem to be getting better. I finally made an appointment with a psychiatrist this week and I know its going to come down to pills. Has anyone had their life drastically changed from anti depressants? Good, bad? Please share you story. I need some encouragement. Thanks.

Answer 1

When I hit rock bottom, and was so depressed I didn't leave the house, didn't eat, failed a semester of college, I started on zoloft. Within two weeks I was feeling better: I started eating, sleeping less, and went back to school. I took zoloft for 2 years, and then weaned off of it VERY slowly (25mg change every month). Now I rarely feel depressed and don't feel I need the meds anymore.

Answer 2

Yes, I have. I have taken I think 3 different anti-depressant drugs-sort of on and off since I was about 30. Right now I am taking Paxil and it seems to work pretty well. I still feel a little down at times but I did loose my Mom this year and my oldest moved out on his own.
The other one I like was Celexa I think it was called. These aren't as strong as say Prozac or Zoloft but I have never been suicidal either.
Talk to someone and go to a doctor too. Most MD's can prescribe something. You may need to get a therapist too.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Ummm, it's hard to say whether they helped me or not. When I started them I also started seeing a new man so I am unsure whether they were responsible for my change in mood or if I was just excited about being in a relationship again.
That relationship ended though - badly and I ended up way worse. The reason it ended was because I got drunk one night and apparently got violent. And I am the most peaceful likeable person (it was completely out of character for me to behave like that)... trust me. I can't remember the night, but the next day I didn't have a boyfriend anymore and all he told me was that I was very abusive and rude to all of his friends.
I threw the anti depressants away after that and Have never been back on them. I meditate now instead.
Just let this be a warning... if you drink. If you don't, then I guess it can't hurt for the time being. I wouldn't recommend long term use. But that's just me.

Answer 4

I was depressed and anxious all my life! I finally was put on anti-anxiety meds and it's an incredible change in my life!! I can think more clearly; decide what I want to do; and DO it!! This was always really difficult to do! I did achieve my schooling and post-graduate degree and work and did work 26 yrs successfully. Chemistry plays a great deal in our personality make-up! Go to a good psychiatrist and get an evaluation. If they do Rx a medication, try it!! If you don't like the results, get a 2nd oppinion! It's well worth it!!

Answer 5

In 1996, I became permanently disabled. The day before Thanksgiving that year my wife died. I moved in with my mom in NJ and started waiting to die.

A few months later, a Doc prescribed Wellbutrin to help me quit smoking--that only lasted two months before I needed my brain again, but I stayed on the Wellbutrin. Depression has always been a problem for me and I screwed up my life self medicating with alcohol. I've been sober for ten years and I think the drug helped.

The Wellbutrin has enabled me to enjoy life again. I took up karaoke, which has made me as much of a sex God as a fat, old, broke guy can be. I've learned to use the internet, have had a couple of blogs, started a yahoo group in January, wrote major character dialogue for a flash sim date game which should be out by the end of summer and have started producing my own game. I'll probably know how to use flash before the year is out.

I was one of those bright guys that everybody looked to for answers. I should have made it big, but Depression held me back. Life still sucks, but I can cope now.

That makes all the difference in the world.

Answer 6

A friend from college started taking anti-depressants, and they really helped her. I'd never seen her really express joy for (her) life, until she began the Prozac. It seemed like her life felt so much fuller, even with stresses at work.

The drugs may help with the counseling, too. It'd be easier to see things clearly/work through things when you're in a better place. And then you'll come away "knowing" how to feel good (happiness won't feel impossible or out of reach).

Answer 7

I have been on anti-depressants and other psychiatric drugs when the anti-depressants didn't work ... none helped me and I almost got diabetes from one drug.

I sympathize with your situation because I had a relationship with a friend end badly and I was really traumatized by it. My parents took me to a psychiatrist and they put me on drugs. In fact, I had the worst year of my life on psychiatric drugs -- couldn't work, just slept most of the day -- it was horrible and I wasn't like that before I was on the drugs.

Eventually, I just refused to have any more psychiatry. I went to a medical doctor who tested my levels of different vitamins and hormones and it turned out I had some deficiencies that she was able to correct. Vitamin B deficiencies are a major cause of depression as are deficiencies in some other vitamins. When those are corrected you often find yourself feeling much better. My doctor slowly got me off of the psych drugs and started me on megavitamin therapy. I began to do much better. I went back to work and have been promoted to a really good job. My boss is very pleased with my work, which is great.

Now, one thing I need to point out is that the insulin analogy above is flawed. They do a blood test to measure that and if they find your blood sugar (I think) to be abnormal they correct it with insulin. It is definately a verifiable chemical imbalance. Psychiatry on the other hand does not do tests like blood tests or x-rays, there is no objective way of determining if someone has a "mental illness." With brain chemistry delicate in the first place introducing powerful mind altering drugs is toxic and has been responsible for suicides, violence and deaths.

So you might be skeptical of what I'm going to say next, but I need to tell you because IT WORKS. There is a powerful form of counseling known as Dianetics that helps you uncover the traumatic incidences of your past, work through them and thus eliminate the emotional charge they have over you. I've done it and it's amazing. You really start to feel better from it.

There's also a course, which I've taken, called "Handling the Ups and Downs of Life" with really powerful technology that might help you figure out why you're feeling the way you do and what you can do about it. It's available at your local Scientology org. I can tell you that it works because I've done it.

One more thing ... psychology and psychiatry place a big emphasis on learning to "cope" with things. This is not what I needed. I needed to improve the conditions in my life, not cope with it being bad. Scientology's volunteer ministers use the slogan "something can be done about it" -- this is true although prior to Scientology people believed they had to accept things as they were. I've repaired the relationship with the friend who hurt me, been more successful at work and learned how to handle difficult people with the tech I learned from Scientology. Overall I've become much happier and more capable. Now I'm able to be a cause rather than just an effect.

Answer 8

Anti-depressants saved my life! If you needed pills for a different disease you would take them. Anti-depressants are the same. Don't be afraid to take them. From my experience, it was trial and error with several different medications. Finally we found one that worked. What a relief. Hang in there. Tomorrow is another day.

Answer 9

my mother was like that for many years. It stemmed from verbal/physical abuse from my father and even after he was gone, the damage to my mother's psyche was extensive. She finally started taking Prozac and Welbutrin (sp) and she has made a complete 360. She took the medication for awhile, but now functions normally with no medication. I strongly urge you to consider taking medication, atleast for awhile. I wish you all the luck in the world and am glad you're getting the help you need.

Answer 10

Absolutely. I was ready to put my head in an oven, saw my name in the obituaries (hallucination), and forgot about keeping my own child home when he was sick.

Medication made all the difference. Why not take them? If my body didn't make insulin, everybody and his brother would be encouraging me to get the shots.